Gang soldering-machine



No. 752,333. PATENTED FEB. 16, 1904. J. DUBE.

GANG SOLDERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1903.

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No. 752.333. PATENTED PEB.16,1904. J. DUBE.

GANG SOLDERING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18, 1903.

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UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE. I

JOSEPH DUBF, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

GANG SOLDERING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,333, dated February 16, 1904'. Application filed July 18, 1903. Serial No. 166,115. (No model.)

and useful Improvements in Gang Soldering Machines, of which the following is a specifica tion.

This invention relates to machines for connecting the heads and pin portions of buttons, badges, &c., which are composed of a head portion and a safety-pin, a part of which is soldered to the back of the head portion.

The invention has for its'object to provide a machine adapted to simultaneously solder a series of pins to a corresponding series of heads in such manner as to economize solder and enable the operation to be quickly and neatly performed.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and c aim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a top plan view of the chief parts of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 rep resents a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 represents a transverse section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a section on line A 4 of Fig. 2 looking toward the left. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 represents a front elevation showing parts of the machine and pins held in position for soldering. Fig; 7 represents a transverse section on a larger scale than that shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 8 represents a plan view of a somewhat diflerent embodiment of my invention. Fig. 9 represents a section on line 9 9 of Fig. 8.

tervening spacesand provided with grooves a in their opposite sides, as shown in Fig 6,

said grooves forming seats for the edge por' tions of holders or beds I) b. Each of said 0 and quickly heat the latter. The holders'b are preferably removable from the arms'af; so. that a different set of holders 5 may be employed for each size of, button-head 0, the ori' fic'es for one size of head being of different diameter from those suitable for another size. The outer sides of the button-heads c are usually embossed or provided with relief ornamentation. The button-heads are placed on the holder 6 with their outer or ornamented sides downward, so that the apertures Z) accommodate the relief ornamentation, as indicated in Fig. 3. Above the holders 6 are a series of clamps, each of which is composed of a lever e, pivoted at f to an ear on the supporting frame and provided with a rearw'ardly-extending arm 6. To the outer end of each lever e is afiixed a jaw 3 constituting one of the members of the clamp.

6 represents a jaw slidingly engaged with the lever e and opposed to the jaw 6 the jaw e being pressed yieldingly toward the jaw e by p a spring 6 supported by the lever e. The jaws e and e are formed to grasp between them the pin member of a safety-pin g, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 6. The safety-pin is held by the jaws with its back member projecting below the jaws, so that when the le vers e are swung downwardly, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig; 3,'the back members of the pins held by the jaws are pressed against the back sides of the button-heads c, resting on the holders 6, so that if the heads 0- are heated and their upperv surfaces are provided with solder, which is melted by the heat from the burners cl, the solder will come in contact with the back portions of the pins It will also be seen that if the solder is allowed to cool while the pins are thus held the heads will be caused to adhere to the pins. In practice the solder is allowed to cool by lowering the flames of the burners d. When this is done, the solder cools very quickly.

Means are provided for separating the jaw e from the jaw 6 when the lever is raised, the jaw 6 being forced toward the jaw 6 when the lever is depressed. The object of this arrangement is to cause the automatic release of the completed articles after the pins have been soldered to the heads, the release being effected by the act of raising the levers e. The means here shown for effecting the said automatic release comprise a rod 0, pivoted at e to a fixed support and passing loosely through an orifice in an ear 6 affixed to the jaw 6 said rod having a head 6 As shown in Fig. 7, the relative arrangement of the parts is such that when the lever e is raised the head 6 will bear on the ear (1 and pull the jaw 0 back from the jaw e When the lever is depressed the rod 6 swings downwardly with the lever, and

' at the same time the distance between the head e and the fixed jaw e is decreased, so that the spring 6 is permitted to press the jaw e toward the jaw 0 and thus grasp a pin interposed between the two jaws. The operator inserts the pins between the" jaws by hand while the levers are depressed, each jaw e being forced back to permit the insertion of a pin. The means here shown for raising and depressing the pin-holding clamps comprise a horizontal bar z', which extends across the arms 6 of the levers e and is movable vertically in guides j, afiixed to the supporting-frame. The said bar is provided with ears 4," r1 which engage cams k is, pivoted at k to'the guides j, said cams being provided with handles or levers 70 whereby they may be turned to raise the bar i, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.

5. When the bar is raised, it permits the levers e and the jaws thereon to swing downwardly, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. When the cams are returned to the position shown in Fig.- 2 and by full lines in Fig. 5, the bar i is depressed, and is thus caused to raise the levers e and the clamps carried thereby.

The burners 0Z constitute parts of a heater which is located below the holders 6. Said heater as a whole comprises an air-chamber d, which is preferably tubular, one or more (and preferably two) gas-chambers 0Z tubes d connecting the air-chamber with an inner tube at, with which each burner is provided, and tubes d connecting the gas-chambers with an annular space 0?, surrounding the inner tube d of each burner. Each of the burners d is therefore of a compound or Bunsen type and is supplied with a mixture of air and gas by the chambers d and d The said gas and air chambers are connected by end pieces or heads 0?. The entire heater above described is supported from the frame (0, preferably by adjustable connections with said frame, which permit the heater to be raised or lowered to increase or decrease the distance between the burners and the head-holders b. The said connections in the embodiment of my invention here shown comprise arms q q, aflixed to the heads 01 and provided with longitudinal slots 1;, through which pass screws m, which are engaged with ears or brackets n, afiixed to the supporting-frame. The heads of said screws bear against the outer sides of the slotted arms 9 and when the screws are tightened clamp the said arms against the brackets n with sufficient force to hold the heater at any point to which it may be adjusted. The air-chamber d and gas-chambers d are provided with nipples (Z which are adapted to be engaged with flexible pipes connected with sources of supply of air and gas under pressure, the air and gas entering the chambers d and 01 through the said nipples 0Z which 'may be provided with cocks 03". After the pins have been presented to the melted solder on the head 0 the cocks cl may be partially closed to reduce the flames of the burners sufliciently to permit the cooling of the solder. The pipes d which connect the gas-chambers 6Z2 with the burners, may also be provided with cocks I prefer to provide two gas-chambers 0Z one located at one side and the other at the opposite side of the series of pipes (P, which connect the air-chamber with the burners. By this arrangement I am able to increase the spaces between the gas-pipes d leading from each gas-chamber d so that sufficient room is afforded between said pipes for the cocks to permit the convenient manipulation of the cocks 6Z The improved machine above described ma be operated as follows: The pin-holding jaws or clamps being raised as shown by dotted lines, the heads 0 are placed upon the holders 6, the pins are placed upon the heads, and the clamps are depressed to engage the pins and hold their backs against the heads. A suitable acid and pieces of solder are next applied to the upper surfaces of the heads and to the backs of the pins before the heads are heated. The gas-flames are then raised and the solder is melted by the heat. The burner-flames are then reduced, allowing the solder to cool. The clamps are then raised and release the ICC pins, after which the completed buttons-that length and capacity, and any desired number of pins may be secured simultaneously to a corresponding number of heads.

In Fig. 8 I show a similar embodiment of my invention, in which the clamps are independent of each other, each consisting of a spring-tongue 6 having a hooked end 6, adapted to engage a pin g. The tongues e are arranged to press the pins downwardly upon the button-heads by their own resilience, and each tongue is raised separately to release the completed articles. In this case the heads 0 are supported by a shelf Z2 having apertures coinciding with the spring-clamps a. A. single portable burner may be employed in this embodiment of my invention, the burner being held by the operators hand under the shelf 6 and moved along from head to head, so that the operator after placing the heads and pins in position fuses the solder on the heads successively.

I claim 1. A soldering-machine comprising a headsupporting bed having an aperture formed to expose the under side of the central portion of a button-head, a pin-clamp having opposed jaws adapted to yieldingly grasp a pin, and a fixed support for the clamp adjacent to thebed, the clamp being movable relatively to its support toward and from the bed, and yieldingly held in position to press a pin against a head supported by the bed.

2. A soldering-machine comprising a headsupporting bed having an aperture formed to expose the under side of the central portion of a button-head, a pin-clamp having opposed 3. Asoldering-machine comprisinga headsupporting bed having an aperture formed to expose the under side of the central portion of a button-head, a pin-clamp having opposed jaws adapted to yieldingly grasp a pin, the clamp being movable toward and from the bed and yieldingly held in position to press a pin against a head supported by the bed, a vertically-adjustable burner located below the bed in position to direct its flame into said aperture, and means for securing the burner at different distances from the bed.

' 4:. A soldering-machine comprising a headsupporting bed having an aperture formed to expose the under side of the central portion of a button, a pin-clamp comprising a lever pivoted to swing toward and from the bed, a jaw affixed to said lever, a spring-pressed sliding jaw, and means operated by an upward movement of the lever for retracting the sliding jaw, said means having provisions for permitting the sliding jaw to approach the opposed jaw when the lever is moved downwardly.

5. A gang soldering-machine comprising a supporting-frame having beds or holders arranged to supporta series of heads, a series of burners below the holders arranged to simultaneously heat the heads, a series of pin-grasping clamps above the holders, eachclamp consisting of a pivoted lever with a jaw aflixed to it, and a spring-pressed jaw slidingly engaged with the lever, a clamp-operating bar engaged the clamps.

" In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH DUBE.

Witnesses:

SYLvEo Dues, (3. F. BROWN. 

